Surprise!!!

I'm blogging again.  I have been doing a lot of research regarding healthy living.  I have begun this journey to discover more of me and the things I am passionate about.  The thing I am most passionate about is health.  Not only physical health, but emotional and every other kind of health out there.  I am so passionate that I decided to renew my blogging efforts to share my journey with you.  Here are some things to look forward to:

• My experiences with Green Smoothie Girl's 12-step program.  http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com
• Natural beauty secrets -- without the chemicals.
• Tips for staying mentally healthy and avoiding those winter blues...or depression.
• Teaching children the importance of healthy eating and helping them make wise choices.
• Say goodbye to colds, flu, doctors and prescriptions.

Stay tuned as you hear about my experiments and all the new things I'm learning about health and ultimately about myself.

Southwest Poultry Burgers

We love grilling in the summer! But if you're like us, traditional burgers and dogs get really old really fast. Here's a "healthier" burger with a twist to keep you excited about grilling this summer.

Southwest Poultry Burgers

1 slightly beaten egg
1/4 cup finely crushed tortilla chips or Doritos
3 Tbs finely chopped green bell pepper
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb ground chicken or ground turkey

Mix and form your patties. (It should make about 4 burgers.)

Grill burgers. Make sure to cook all the way through since they are poultry!

Top with Pepper Jack or Cheddar cheese, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and special sauce.

Special sauce: Combine fat free sour cream and salsa.

Happy Grilling!

letter to self

Dear body,

I've been feeding you with crappy fuel lately. Don't worry; I'll make it up to you by killing it in the gym this week. Yes; It will hurt. What doesn't kill you will make you stronger. PLEASE don't hate me and PLEASE don't die!

Affectionately,

Me

What would you say to your body in a letter?

Grilled Salmon

Salmon with Orange-Pineapple Salsa
From the Better Home and Gardens Cookbook

1.5 lb salmon fillet (with skin)

2 Tbs sugar
1.5 tsp shredded orange peel
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Mix and rub evenly over fish (not on the skin side).
Cover in shallow dish and marinate in refrigerator for 8-24 hours.

1 tsp shredded orange peel
2 oranges, peeled and chopped
1 cup fresh pineapple or canned crushed pineapple drained
2 Tbs fresh cilantro
1 Tbs finely chopped green onion
1 fresh hot pepper, seeded and finely chopped
Stir in a small bowl, cover, and chill for up to 24 hours.

Grilling: Drain fish. Place fish, skin side down, on greased grill over medium heat. (Medium heat = 4 second count with hand near cooking surface.) Cover and grill for 14-18 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork. (Do not lift the lid during cooking time.)

To Serve: cut fish into serving size pieces, cutting up to but not through the skin. Carefully slip a metal spatula between fish and skin, lifting fish up and away from skin. Serve fish with salsa.

This was my first time cooking salmon. Before this recipe I was scared to grill fish. It is actually very easy and fool proof using this method. I liked having a fruity salsa, but the peppers and onions were not necessary for me. I think I'll leave them out next time.

Snack, Snack, Snack

Are you someone who likes to snack? Snacking doesn't have to sabotage your "diet." In fact having healthy snacks throughout the day will help keep your metabolism up and give you the energy you need to make it to your next meal without eating your arm. Would you believe me if I told you that you could have up to six meals a day?!? We all know about breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I keep those meals around 300-400 calories each. Then I can have up to three 100-200 calorie snacks in between.

Snacks -- 150 calories or less

Carb Heavy
Fruit (anything)
1 cup grapes (60 cal)
1 orange (60 cal)
1 med apple (80 cal)
2 cups whole strawberries (85 cal)
1 pear (100 cal)
1 large banana (120 cal)
1/4 cup dried berries or raisins (140 cal)
Carrot sticks (25 cal per whole carrot or five large baby carrots)
granola bar (90-150 cal)
12 tortilla chips and salsa (150 cal)
4 cups air popped popcorn w/0 calorie spray butter (120 cal)
Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kisses (25 cal per kiss)

Somewhat Balanced
Cucumber sandwich -- 1 slice w.w. bread, fat free cream cheese, and cucumbers (130 cal)
half bowl of cereal and milk (90-150 cal)
1/2 slice whole wheat bread w/ 1 Tbs peanut butter (150 cal)

Protein Heavy
Celery stalk with 1.5 Tbs peanut butter (150 cal)
Greek yogurt w/ fruit on the bottom (100 cal)
1 oz beef jerky (80 cal)
20 whole almonds (150 cal)
1 cup fat free milk (90 cal)
3 oz or 12 large shrimp w/cocktail sauce (90 cal)

So go grab a snack that suits your needs.

Deluxe Turkey Sandwich

My Favorite Sandwich of ALL time!


Get those Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins in the grocery store (by the bread and the buns).
Toast the sandwich thin.
Top with 1/4 - 1/2 of a fresh avocado, turkey, tomato, and alfalfa spouts.

The whole sandwich is 230 calories.

Perfection!

No Gym Required (Part 1)

Since I haven't had access to the gym this week, I thought it'd be a perfect time to do a series called No Gym Required. I'll have ideas of things you can do at home without going to the gym. Here's what I did today.

Cardio: I got out my old road bike and bike trailer. I loaded up a picnic lunch and took my kids to the park. Now I recommend you get AT LEAST 20 minutes of consecutive cardio, so pick a park that will take you 20 minutes to get to. No cheating! Normally when I go for a bike ride I do a lot of coasting, and leisurely go about it. NO NO NO NO. If this is going to count as a workout, you better get huffing and sweating! I happened to have a couple of hills on my route which are near to impossible to do with a bike trailer with 60 lbs worth of kids stuffed in. Trust me, I was huffing and puffing.

Then while you are at the park, don't be the mom that sits on a bench and watches your kids play. If this is going to count as a workout, you better pick a park with lots of area and chase those kids all over it.

My kids chased the birds > I chased my kids = a bit of an extra workout.

I estimate that I burned about 200 calories with this excursion.
And my kids LOVED me for it!
(That's not as much as I burn at the gym, but it's pretty good considering the kids thought I went on that trip for THEM! Ha.)

Exercises: For this I put the kids to bed beforehand. I decided to focus on abs today. I admit they are my favorites. I have a video illustrating the exercises. Please keep in mind, I am not a professional trainer or a professional videographer.



Basically I'll do 30 reps of each exercise (except the plank -- 2 minutes of that one). If I have more time and I'm not burning yet, I'll do 30 more of everything. You don't want to stop just because you may feel a bit uncomfortable. No pain, no gain. You'll really see results if you work through the pain. Ideally, you want to make sure you aren't going to be able to move the next day. Call me crazy, but I LOVE those kind of workouts.